Saturday, July 07, 2012

Obsessed

Now that I've waded out from under (most) of the summer's workload, I have time to explore the shelves and discover new authors. Because I was a good scribe and got the work done first I think the Book Gods rewarded me by steering me to a number of great reads, beginning with Shawntelle Madison's impressive urban fantasy Coveted.

You know how often you want a well-written book with a great cast of characters and all the elemental perks but a different story line? Not the same old tired tried-and-true genre tropes but genuinely distinctive; something fresh and unique that reaffirms your faith in fiction? Add to that one which makes you happy about what's being written by the next generation of writers? This is one of those books.

To give you a little on the story: Natalya Stravinsky is a werewolf with two problems. One is Thorn, the son of the local pack leader, an old love who has recently come back to town and of whom great things are expected. Unfortunately getting involved with Natalya isn't one of them.

Natalya also has OCD. Please note, she doesn't have the shallow, occasionally mentioned, pretty, put-there-just-to-give-her-a-nice-flaw variety of OCD; this is the real deal. It's woven in her personality, it got her kicked out of her pack, it's filled her house with Christmas ornaments, and it's seriously screwing with her life. Natalya knows this, and she does want to do something about it. So she returns to group therapy with other extraordinary creatures -- among them, a succubus who can't get a date, a mermaid who's afraid of the sea, a giant-size dwarf, and a handsome hoarder of a wizard. The group is run by a therapist who is also a wizard capable of handling both his patients' special problems and providing ways for them find solutions. Only Natalya has a lot more to cope with than simply her disorder. Someone wants her dead.

Coveted is odd, funny, original and not at all what you'd expect. The writing is excellent, the characters come off so realistic they should have their own reality show, and the story is authentic and original (and I believe this is the author's debut novel, which makes it even more impressive.)

And as always, you don't have to take my word for it. In comments to this post, name the last author or book you've read that kept you guessing (or if you can't think of any, just toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST tonight, June July 7th, 2012.* I'll chose three names at random from everyone who participates and send the winners an unsigned copy of Coveted by Shawntelle Madison. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something at PBW in the past.

*Added to correct, and sorry about posting the wrong month. Apparently my head is still in June.

The last book that really had me on edge was The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I couldn't muster up that much excitement for the third installment in that series, but Strain is on my keeper shelf.

The last book that blew me away because it was different and unexpected was Hard Magic by Larry Correia. It's alternate history meets urban fantasy rolled up in a hard-boiled wrapper. And I'm not even doing it justice. It's just...wow.

#13 in the Dresden Files series -- Ghost Story. Actually I highly recommend the whole series, but that last one had me stumped until almost the very end about what had actually happened. Pretty impressive that a series still has me hooked after 13 books. Normally I burn out much sooner.

Also, Ill Wind by Rachel Caine. It's the first in her Weather Warden series and I tried it on a whim because it sounded truly unique. And it was.

Discovery of Witches, the first book in the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness--which was an incredible read. Shadow of Night (book two) is out next week and I honestly can't begin to guess what's going to happen next!!

I have been reading and adoring the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. They are sweet and serious, funny, and the characters always come up with great roundabout solutions to their problems.

Because I haven't been in the right headspace for anything out of the ordinary, I have been re-reading some of my old favorites. Which made me hungry for really good books that will become old re-readable favorites.So, I opened Endless Blue by Wen Spencer, and am still trying to figure out what I think of it. It was strange, and odd, and made me want to read other Wen Spencer books. But, happy day, Elfhome is now available!!!!!

Eileen Wilks last book in her Lupi Series, Death Magic had a twist in it that literally had my mouth dropping open. This is an excellent series, but you do need to read it in order, to understand her Lupi world.